Foundations & Intention Setting:

In our first session, we jump right into discussing how grieving the loss of a mother affects children at different ages, the effects that loss can have on children developmentally and we’ll begin to discuss the core needs of grieving children. We’ll also build community among the group as we share intentions for learning and ways to connect and enrich each other’s experience throughout the course.

Identifying Core Needs:

We’ll spend time addressing the emotional, physical and psychological needs of your child as well as your own after mother loss. We’ll discuss how you envision your family life going forward and learn practical skills to assess the health of the father/child bond and we will work through what must be healed first in order to move forward in a healthy way.

Identifying and Exploring Emotional Intelligence:

What is emotional intelligence in parenting and how can it help a child grieve in a health way? We’ll explore the concept of “Mindsight” (per Daniel Siegel’s concept of seeing into another’s mind to best understand and respond to them). We’ll learn how to put this into practice with specific strategies for daily living.

Attachment Needs:

Discover what Attachment Theory is and how fathers can recognize what their own needs are in relationship with others and what their child needs most to grieve mother loss. You’ll learn how attachment science can be put onto practice to lead to a more respectful and bonded relationship between father and child.

Anxiety and Anger

Discover how to identify these emotions in a child at different ages and stages, how to recognize, reframe and reset emotional disconnection when anxiety and/or anger occur. You’ll learn how to navigate the most common behavioral challenges of a grieving child in a way that creates a new sense of safety. Mona Delahooke’s concept of “top down vs. bottom up” parenting will be discussed.

Moving Forward with Hope

Discover how to honor the memory of your child’s mother in order to keep her close in mind, heart and spirit. Rituals and other forms of remembrance can carry a child’s relationship with their mother forward as a child grows. Emphasis is on maintaining connection and the understanding that grief for a mother lasts a lifetime. There is no one way to grieve and fathers and children can forge their own unique paths toward reimagining their lives together.